


Wicked Ones

by Birdfluff, phasmamulder



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, CEO AU, Existentialism, M/M, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22826986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdfluff/pseuds/Birdfluff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/phasmamulder/pseuds/phasmamulder
Summary: From a CEO's desperation to make it on the leader board of companies, Rhys makes the ultimate sacrifice that gives Hyperion the upper hand for the next seven years.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Katagawa Jr. (Borderlands)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. The Boring Beginning Part

Rhys Strongfork was desperate. He didn't have any money. He had barely scraped enough to get off of Pandora to get to Promethea. There was nothing there for him. He had nothing to work with except broken dreams and glass. This was the only thing he could think of. Rhys still had no idea why he bothered to keep it. It almost killed him in the end, yet he stared at it until he finally put it in his pocket. Was this going to bite him in the ass later? Absolutely. But that wasn’t going to be his problem any time soon... at least he hoped it wouldn’t be soon.

For some reason, Rhys couldn’t get in contact with Hyperion’s new CEO. Did he or she or they even exist? Hyperion has been off the grid since the Fall of Helios. Now that Rhys was thinking about it, he got a hold on the Vice President of the company surprisingly fast. Was he planning something? Dread piled up like sludge in his gut, telling him that he should be here. It reminded him that he was an employee who jumped ship with a Jack’s AI in his head and caused their station to crash. He knew Hyperion, inside and out, but this was unfamiliar territory. He had never met the man slightly below Handsome Jack. Was he willing to hear the CEO out, or was there going to be a squad of snipers aiming at his head until he gave up his offer?

… And Rhys did make a compelling offer.

Goddammit, this was the perfect way for him to get killed! Was he going to back out now? Seeing that he was standing in front of two giant doors… probably not. He was a CEO. If this goes well, Rhys would become the biggest target of the galaxy. He would raise Atlas like a phoenix… at least he hoped he would.

With a swallow, Atlas’ new CEO stepped into the office of Hyperion’s Vice President: Jeffrey Blake. He clenched.

Good news. No swat team waiting on the other side. However, that gave him more reason to panic. They were probably invisible, knowing the company. His ECHO eye whirled online and surveyed the room, glancing at every corner and house plant. No one was here… except Jeffrey Blake, who was staring at him from his chair, his hands folded.

Rhys stiffened at the sight of him. He was… gangly. His legs and arms were longer than his dark mahogany desk. He was wearing the worst material in the world to Rhys: wool. Even though the company he has been a part of for years has been literally buried underground, Blake was dressed so proper, so clean. Was losing all that money to rebuild and reform their society not an issue for them? His blue eyes were pierced through the CEO like a bitter breeze from Pandora’s wastes. There was no expression to his face. No twitching. It was perfectly still as if the older man was a statue. His skeleton fingers uncurled from each other as Blake leaned back in his extravagant cushioned seat.

“You may step in further, Mr. Strongfork. Take a seat.” He spoke coolly, as if there was no urgency in their situation. There was some urgency. Rhys was urgent to get out with as much money as fast as possible. He missed having his wingman.

Choosing not to speak up, for fear of totally detering his chances of his plans working, Rhys obeyed and walked up to his desk with a stiff gait. Even the extra chairs were exuberantly refurbished and surprisingly nice to the touch. If Rhys was close to being relaxed, these chairs would be easy to fall asleep in.

Jeffrey’s movements were strangely poised, graceful. He unfurled his hand towards him, his fingers extending one by one. “May I see the eye?”

Fumbling, Rhys fished inside of his pocket. Taking a breath, he slowly pulled out a tissue and quietly unfolded it in his lap to reveal his old blue ECHO eye. Daintily, he placed it in the Vice President’s hand who muttered a thank you. Jeffrey held it up to the light, looking for any cracks or spots on the small disk. This felt more intense than his last seconds with Handsome Jack. Fortunately, Rhys wasn’t in an immense amount of pain or suffering from blood loss this time. He watched as Jeffrey gingerly slipped the thin wire between his thumb and index and turned towards his computer.

“Ah--” Stop stop stop--! Rhys quickly requested. “I--’d be careful. It’s--!” His tongue got caught on his teeth when Blake looked at him again. That was a red flag.

His eyebrow quirked up ever so slightly. “... It’s Handsome Jack?”

The CEO swallowed hard. “Yyyyeah, you’d, ah, want to have him contained first before you go… pluh-plugging him into holes. He tends to, uh, spread… to places you don’t want him in. You can say goodbye to whatever important documents you have in there if you put him into your uh, business… computer.”

Jeffrey hummed, glancing down at the disk. “Yes… I’m sure you’ve experienced that first hand, Mr. Strongfork.”

He forced a laugh, hoping to diffuse the situation. “Yeah, well, we all make mistakes.”

“And yet you didn’t feel obliged to destroy it… but to bring him back here?”

Rhys blinked. “Whu-what?”

“We have footage backed up everywhere, Rhys.” He said matter-of-factly, “You should know this.”

Oh, we are going by first name basis now? The CEO shifted in his seat, sitting straighter, as sarcasm dripped out of his lips. “Oh, I sure do, Jeffrey. Hyperion sure loves to blackmail its employees, right? You guys already have my naked body ready to put me on blast in case I messed up.”

He hummed again; his gaze glued to the ECHO eye. “Why didn’t you?”

“Wha-why didn’t I what?”

“Destroy him. You feared him. You realized your mistakes when you put him into Helios’ systems--”

Tongue like led, Rhys pushed himself to speak. “Actually, he, uh, he forced me to do it. He took control of my arm...”

“You’re clamming up and shifting, as if he could be listening in on us… and yet you trust us with this technology?” He held the disk up to him.

The CEO drew his head back, his lips puckered. Trust them? Of course he didn’t trust them. Their trust almost got him killed. He loosened his shoulders. “I-I don’t-- I don’t care what you do with that _thing_. And I’m _not_ scared of him! Okay? Nnnot anymore. It’s your office! Gives me the creeps.”

It was actually the most normal looking office Rhys had ever come across in his days of desk jobs and retail. It was minimalistic yet full, possible due to the plants taking up a lot of the empty space. Other than that, there was no sign of personal memorabilia, which was off putting. But then again, Jeffrey did not seem like the type of person to be fond of having a family, judging by his appearance and his almost cold way of speaking. He was the pure opposite of Jack. He was quiet, always listening and adapting, and his hair is literally shaped into devil horns. If that wasn’t symbolism, Rhys didn’t know what else it could be.

“Mmmhm. Surely it doesn’t matter to you as long as your payment checks out?”

“Weeell, I wouldn’t word it like thaat, but… yes.” To an extent.

“I suppose it’s not my business to know why you decided to keep this...”

“... But it’s not going to stop you from asking?”

“Of course. Did you read my mind with that ECHO eye of yours?” 

There was a pause. Wait. Was that supposed to be a joke? He said that so dryly, Rhys couldn’t understand whether or not it was meant to be teasing.

“Uh… no.” Figures, either way. Why would Jeffrey be different when it comes to Hyperion’s ‘no privacy’ rules? Rhys slouched in his seat. “Fine, you want me to be honest? I don’t know why I kept him. Maybe, I had Stockholm Syndrome! Probably… Probably had Stockholm Syndrome, yeah… I’ve moved on. I don’t want him anymore. There’s nothing I can do with him… right now, or ever. I think in the back of my mind, I planned to put him in his worst nightmare, like a Claptrap or a shield. Something useless. I’ve... kind of, grown out of being that level of petty. This is really important to me… So. Can we... haggle?” Or was that not enough blackmail information for you? What did he expect Rhys to say? That he was in love with a dictator? That ship has already sailed and drowned the moment he saw the hologram.

He stroked his sculptured chin. “You need enough to rebuild Atlas, correct?”

“Uh--yes.”

“How does thirty hundred million sound to you?”

Rhys’ jaw dropped. “Thirty hund--hunnndred… mil? Hoh… ah--! Tha tha th--that sounds… plenty! Or uh, hah, or we could go a little higher if that’s your mi-- Nevermind, I know that look. That’s your max offer, I take it.”

“Indeed. It’s yours to take or leave.”

“God, thirty. THIRTY hun...” The CEO sputtered until finally gulping and saying. “I’ll take it!”

Blake simply held out his hand and Rhys quickly stood up and shook it with bounding excitement. “Just know that you are in debt to us. You still owe us that ten million for the fake Vault Key.” He said with an amused tone.

Rhys’ laugh died instantly. “Oh! Oh, that wasn’t a joke. Really? Y-you got wind of that? I--okay. You’re glaring at me now. I’ll… I’ll give you that ten million… at some point.”

“Wonderful. Meet with my secretary, Jenean, and she’ll get it ready for you.”

“I--uh, yeah, thank you. Seriously. No--no forms? No strings attached? No I’m ensla-- Nevermind, I don’t want to give you ideas. Blake, you’re… How come you’re not the CEO?”

His face actually twitched. “Hmph. How kind of you to say. Unfortunately, since Jack’s forced retirement, I don’t fit the… ‘high standard bill’ of being the CEO of Hyperion, according to the board.”

“No wonder Hyperion has fallen off the market since then.” Rhys mumbled under his breath. Walking through the halls of this new facility, there were barely any employees when Helios was up to it’s metaphorical neck in workers. The clueless suckers and dreamers of being the next Handsome Jack must have thought better, now that Hyperion was just a forgettable piece of gum that had hardened on the bottom of your shoes. The CEO cleared his throat and made his way towards the door. “Well, uh, thank you, Mr. Vice President, sir. For your time. I appreciate it. Good--good business…! Yeah. Uh. Have a good day… sir.”

“As to you.” His returned kindness fell on deaf ears when Rhys closed the door. Jeffrey rolled his eyes and thumbed the ECHO eye resting on the tissue paper. 

What a fool. 

Rhys Strongfork was too honest to a fault. He had become one to overshare since he left Hyperion, which was helpful to Blake’s cause. He wouldn’t have to worry about this disk being a virus. Rhys was too pathetic to put up an act. He had become soft, but that has always been his weakness even in this company. If his stupidity hadn’t gotten in the way, none of this would have happened. Blake didn’t hold grudges. However, he applied pressure just enough to keep people around him in place.

He found himself staring at the disk. Such a tiny device that was given such intricate care. The CEO still had a soft spot for this AI who nearly killed him. Ideas popped in and about his head as he stared at the disk. There were plenty of uses for this hologram... Only one thought stood out among the rest. Unfortunately. It was one Rhys feared to say out loud, but Jeffrey could read it perfectly on his face. To be honest, he didn’t like the idea either. But what choice did he have with this company? With a sigh, he tapped the bluetooth on his ear.

“Yes, Mr. Blake, sir?” A meek voice replied on the other side.

“Charles, connect me to R&D’s manager, I have something she needs to test run for me. I believe I found our new CEO.”


	2. This Is The Part Where I Show Up, Finally

The R&D chamber was completely quiet aside from one person tick tacking away on the keyboard. Blake’s light footsteps echoed loudly off the high ceiling. So many computers not in use. So much dust. Hyperion was in desperate need of coming up with a new Claptrap that wasn’t Claptrap, but sadly only Blake and four other people sat at the idea table… which was a giant table for at least sixteen more people. Hyperion had two accountants, one R&D manager/programmer, and a secretary. The engineers working on the station were freelancers. It was cold and unfertilized from lack of good ideas. Walking down the metal, unfurnished halls that mocked each tender step with a barking echo was uncannily eerie.

Hyperion didn’t have a face. It was draped in mystery by anyone who didn’t physically work there. They didn’t have a name for the station yet. It was nothing. Empty promise leaked through the pipes and dripped loudly into a puddle of hatred. At the bottom of the pool laid a rock. The tiniest rock one would have ever seen that you would have to look at it through a magnifying glass. That was there hope and it was in Jeffrey Blake's pocket.

“What about Eos?” Meg Carter, their programmer, offered. Her hair was pulled in a tight unbrushed bun and her glasses were always askew on the edge of her nose. “She’s Helios’ sister. She is the goddess of a new dawn. That’s… technically what Hyperion is going through right now! Right? Dawn is associated with the rebirth of a new day.”

Jenean Jacqueline scrunched up her nose. Her clothes looked especially pressed today. Not a trace of wrinkles. “It’s not a rebirth if it’s a new day, Carter, unless it’s like, Ground-skag day. Which it isn’t.”

Charles Markly shrugged, his voice nasal. He was still trying to fix his cowlick every so often by patting his hair. “It also sounds similaaar to Helios. It might, uh, mamamama-make it wh-weieherd?”

“Do we have to stick with the whole naming after old gods shtick?” Wade Hanson piped up, his feet on the table, looking annoyed as ever. “We are not in the position to watch over Pandora! There’s no point in calling this station ‘the sun’. We need to focus on our shit. Getting back on the corporate ladder? Hello?”

“Mind your fucking tone, Hanson.” Jenean leaned over and tapped her pen on his boot. “I will not ask you again to put your feet down. This is no way to act in front of the Vice President.”

He didn’t put his feet down. Wade scoffed and jutted a thumb over at the end of the table. “Oh, the VP knows exactly how I feel about him. We’re low on staff, Jenny, you can’t touch this dick… Only Charles can do that.”

Charles blinked, bewildered. “W-w-w-wait, when did this get p-p-p-pushed onto me? I’m ccccconfused.”

“There will be no dick talk at this table--” Jenean protested, raising her voice.

“What about Aurora!” Meg jumped up with a smile, her ECHO in hand. “She’s kind of the same as Eos but the name is definitely different!”

“Aurururrruru--AH!” Charles stuck his tongue out. “Damn, that’s hell on my speech impedimmememmement. Y-you know I ccccan’t do ‘r’s. We-we-we don’t even--”

“You nervous, Charley?” Wade suddenly asked, looking him over with a concerned frown. “You don’t usually stutter this much unless you’re nervous.”

“I-it-it it’s just a lot-a lot-lot a pressure. This isn’t my ffffffield.”

“I’ll handle this.” Hanson put a rather affectionate hand on Markley’s knee before giving Blake, who sat there in silence with his hands clasped together under his chin for the last ten minutes, a ravenous glare. “You’ve been awfully quiet. What the fuck are we doing here, Jeff? What’s our purpose?”

“Do _not_ address him like that!”

He finally took his feet off the table and put his hands up in defense. “Jesus Christ, did he fuck you? Is that why you’re standing up to him like this? He’s a big boy, let him speak!”

“We have done nothing of the sort!” Jenean put her hand on her chest, grossly appalled. “I am speaking because I respect him, which is something that YOU lack.”

“That could not be more obvious, Jenny-Hunny.”

“What about Ra?” Meg perked up, but ended up diving back into her ECHO. “Oh, right! No ‘R’s. I was listening.”

“I mmmmmean it’s shouuurteer…?”

“I’m just asking our great VP what the fuck he plans to do with Hyperion! We have NOTHING, Jenean!”

“That is WHY we are here, Wade! Every company starts off small even when it crashes… literally… in our case. We are dealing with everything one step at a time.”

“Ok, yeah, sure, of course, absolutely. Without question, I get that… But Hyperion plans everything. Right? We even planned for when Handsome Jack dies! And he did! Because he was an idiot! And we did juuust fiine until he comes back as a FUCKING HOLOGRAM. Who SERIOUSLY saw that coming?! Vasquez fucked us all over because he didn’t tell anyone and he’s dead! Hyperion knew shit! Now we don’t! You know why? Because Jack died. He kept us paranoid. He was insane! He kept us on edge and we’re fucking NOTHING without him!”

Jenean slammed her hands onto the table as she stood up, towering over Hanson. “You’re disrespecting all Harold Tassiter had done for this company. What Blake has done--!”

Wade followed her lead, snarling with his teeth bared. “They didn’t do shit! With Jack we made progress! Sure, he was an insane bitch, but he knew what he wanted and he was determined! He was a leader!”

“Why don’t we go with the opposite and call the station Artemis?” Meg mused to herself, thoughtfully, “Wait, there’s a planet named Artemis, isn’t there? Never mind, ignore me.”

“Handsome Jack was a dictator." Jacqueline corrected, "He killed innocent people to get what he wanted! He ruined lives, Hanson. He ruined my life, Hanson. But you’re right! He is progressive. Without Jack, I would have been at home right now with my husband, watching my firstborn play with his or her pet dog. But no, he killed my husband in the New Haven crossfire! I miscarried! I lost my job afterward because Jack killed my would-be boss! My life spiraled out of control for I don’t know how long. I had to be put in a home because I blew off my neighbor's head who wouldn’t stop playing the FUCKING piano. Guess what, Hanson?! The only place that can hire me without even looking at my criminal record is a run down company named Hyperion because they’re desperate!” Everyone but Meg gawked at her. Reality hitting her, Jenean covered her mouth, her eyes bugging out as she hid her head from their Vice President. She swallowed hard, tugging at her tie. “M-mmmister Blake…! Sir, I am… I am so sorry… That was-- terribly offtopic and unprofessional. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Steadily, Blake drew in a breath and rode of the exhale. He released his hands and leaned back on his chair. His expressionless face never wavering as his hand subconscious touched his pocket. He glanced over at Meg who was still nose deep in her research. “Mrs. Jacqueline. It’s fine. Jack was a monster and I hate to admit it but... he did give grant us a spot on top that Hyperion desperately needed after the Lost Legion Takeover. We’ll find someone suitable, I promise.”

“The board will have to give up eventually, sir.” Jenean combed her hair back behind her ears in an attempt to compose herself. “You are practically our CEO.”

“But I’m not. Even if I was the last person in Hyperion, they would never pick me. Once we have a CEO, I will be demoted back to managing mercenaries. It’s the way Hyperion is. They are addicted to Jack’s…" He pause, searching for the right word. "--energy that he brought. He struck fear... He was well liked, because of his dick-ish nature. No one could get enough of it. He had help from his Siren daughter. He was perfect for Hyperion... I'm not saying that Harold... wasn't. He was a good man. A stellar leader. I do wish that... his death wasn't so painful." His feelings about their old CEO didn't matter in the moment. He shook himself out of it. "If we can’t find anyone similar to Jack soon, our funding will be pulled.”

Wade scoffed. “We have more than enough cash from those gun-whoring bandits.”

“And it’s getting thinner everyday.” Blake gestured to the large window to open space. Construction was still ongoing for another wing on the station. “You forget this station isn’t remotely finished, Mr. Hanson.”

Hanson made a indifferent noise in his nose before looking back in disgust. “It’s not going to be another H, is it?”

“The board has not discussed it with me on what shape it’ll be. At least we all have a space to work in.”

“But what’s our goal?” Charles spoke meekly, swallowing. “Sell guns? We ccccan’t.”

“We cannot do anything presently, no.”

Meg raised her hand up. “Osiris?”

Jenean shook her head and put her finger to her lips while Blake continued. “We are taking this one step at a time. We start small, just like Mrs. Jacqueline said. At some point, we will go back to making guns, appliances, etc. Everything that we used to do, we will continue once everything is… hopefully in place. For now, we focus on what we can do, gather up ideas, put out feelers. Look for any one desperate for a job and give them one here. We need as many hands as possible. We may be small but Hyperion is always preparing for the future. So we must fight the present. Keep our eyes towards the never ending horizon for our next more as we continue to grow. Understandable?” There were a variety of small affirmative noises around the table. Jeffrey sighed. “Good… What was that, Meg?”

“I said Osiris. For the name of our station. He’s god of the dead and life, agriculture, resurrection. He’s got range… kind of like Hyperion. We used to bring life, death… resurrection?”

Blake sighed and nodded. “Sure… it’ll be temporary unless no one else thinks of a better suited name… We will stick with Osiris. Meeting adjourned.” He turned his ECHO recorder off.

“Dammit...” Charles pouted to himself.

. . .

Meg jumped up from her chair and cheerfully greeted him, waving her hands. “Welcome to the R&D lab, Mr. Blake, sir!”

He has been here before. He also knew exactly where he was. But that didn’t stop Meg from saying that every single time. He had stopped correcting her. “Thank you, Miss Carter." He gazed up. "How’s our ‘secret’ doing?”

“Our secret is being…” She gawked at the giant black screen that buzzed with electricity and took a tiny step backwards.. “I don’t know.”

“... Explain?”

Meg stimmed by running her fingers over her lanyard. “W-well… his chip was kept in good condition, sir. Mr. Strongfork did a good job with it. There’s nothing missing or corrupted. I’ve scanned for any signs of viruses. I can’t test him for bugs if I can’t… um… access him. He’s not an exe file, sir. Let me show you.” Blake leaned over as she hopped to her station and brought up the finder. She pointed at the screen. “Look, you see this one? It doesn’t have any kind of detail of what kind of file Handsome_Jack_2.1 is. AIs are not supposed to-- it's just not possible. It needs to be a certain file! I don't understand what Mr. Nakayama was thinking with this.”

Blake didn't really care about the inner workings of this AI. He huffed, trying to keep his tone level. “And you’ve tried to run it, Miss Carter?”

“Multiple times. In different programs! I don’t know how to bring him out if-if he is in there, sir.”

“ _If_ he is in there?”

“I-I heard something right before you came in. I don’t know if it was a voice or the silence getting to me. I usually like working in silence, you know that, but I heard something when I was messing with the speakers. I heard static.”

He stared blankly at her worried countenance. "And this offends you?”

“Computers don’t make noises you would hear on a television set. They repeat the same error screen and noise until it blue screens. Computers don’t have fits when the internet is out like when the cable is cut loose on a telly. It gets all cranky and fussy and loud, and they don’t tell you what’s wrong in numbers like computers. It’s like a baby.”

Blake tilted his head. “So… you’re saying that it’s possible that he has invaded the system… but has no way to speak to us to say what’s wrong?”

“Invaded?" She questioned his word choice, but when she saw she wasn't getting an explanation, she quietly continued, thumbing her ID. "It’s possible, sir.”

“Are the speakers on the main screen on?”

“They are, sir”

He tapped her desk. “Does this have a microphone.”

“It’s built in! Here, I’ll set it up reaaaaaal faaast-- Doop boop bop ba bap boop, there we go! It's always a good idea to say hello, you know.” She cleared her throat dramatically for flair, “Heeeellloooooooo, Handsome Jack, sir! Are you alive and well?”

After a breath of silence, Blake gave her a strange look. “He’s an AI, Miss Carter. He doesn't get sick.”

“No disrespect, sir, but AIs have feelings too. They like being asked things like that. It makes them feel more like they belong in our world. This Handsome Jack experienced death, sir. It could effect--!" Her perplexed visage fell with a flinch as she stared at the screen in horror. “The static is back… Do you hear it, sir?”

Blake waited again, his patience on the line. After a minute, he sighed. “Miss. Carter, I don’t--”

There it was. It was increasing in volume ever so slowly like it was traveling through the inner workings of the screen’s speakers. There was a dot in the middle of the screen. It was blue and blinking. Jeffrey watched Meg move away from her station and towards the wide monitor.

“I’ve never seen an AI do this before.” She remarked to herself. “Even the most cynical AI do not hesitate to come out of hiding if you ask nicely...” She decided to call out again. “Handsome Jack, sir? I am Meghan Carter! I’m a Hyperion programmer. With me is Jeffrey Damien Blake, you know him! … He should know him… Mr. Blake, sir, maybe you should say something too? Give him a hello! Maybe that could coax him to come… come out.” The static was getting louder and it was being followed by a harsh crunched up sound of a strained e chord you would hear on a violin. The noise forced a chill up Blake’s spine.

“Maybe, I missed a line of code? Are you stuck, sir? Jacky? H-he might be trying to communicate through the static! I’ll restart the computer--”

BANG, the speakers exploded as static bellowed through the recycled air. Meg screamed and covered her ears as her legs caved in. She put her head in between her thighs while Blake stood in watch, his eyes completely transfixed. There was such a dramatic force through the speakers that it physically shoved him back. From the impact the monitor's screen cracked down the middle and suddenly a horrifyingly familiar corrupted laugh barked through the destroyed phones that dug an unnerving pit in his gut.

“B̶̨̡̡̢̛̳̜͖̭̲̤͕̘̞̙̰̯̭̙̳̦̹̦͉̝̞̣̘͕̠͚̲̯̫͍̼̱̒̒̌̿̇̐͊͐̍̽̈́̈́͛̋̉̽̆̅͗̑͛̓́͒̋͛̀̆͒̇͐̎̀͂̐́͒̐̂̓̔̊̌̿̃͋͐͆͋͛̋͗͗̚̕͜͝͝L̷̨̢̨̛̛̯̲̗̺͚̦̟̦͖͖̪͖͕̪̮͓͌̇̃̓̇̋̾̉̌̅̒̽̈́̈́̏̌̅̄͑̇̃͊̀̎̑͆̾̅̌̑̏͂̈̋͝͠L̸̡̢̧̡̨̯̟̜̟̼̳̺̙̥͓̫̜͓̖͔͓̰̫͍͚̗̩̰̰̼͓̳͙͈̫̯̪̣̳̠͕͇̝̖̯̫͇͚̲͇̓͋̓̽̿̈́͛̇̕͜L̶̢̨̪̬̬͖̼͖͍̤͎̳̻͚̳̻͓̦̺͈̝̬͖͙̠̫͕͕͖̦̼͕̲̘̜͇̟͖͈̲̤̿̊̀̎̔͜͜͝Ļ̴̡̧̭̬̹̪̺̜͉̣̫͎̜͖̥̹̺̯̪̰̩͈͉̣̫̬̦̹̣̱̟͚̬̭̠́̊̃͊̐͋̋̊̒̓̈́͋͋̑̂̐̇̈͑̇̓͆̔̂̏̇͂̊̃̀̀͐͂̉̑̈́̈́̐̍̊̇̍̍͊̆̓̓̈́̄͛͐̕͘͘̚͜͝͠L̶̡̧̨̢̨̡̹̮͈̲̙̣̤̘̝̹̜̗͇̮̼̰͕̭̜͇̦͇̤̺͔͖͎̫̖̯̠̩̞̣̊̽͛͋̈̈́͂͑͗͗͋̔͊Ḻ̴̡̣͍̤̼̝̦̰̹̱̺̥͔̝̥̲̞̹̙̻̤̥̰̘̟̫͍̱̬͙̫̝͔͇͇̫̣̩͓͕̲͚̪̯̟̥̥̫͖̬̣͍͉̦̯͖̆͛̄͆͆̐͑͌̊͌̑͛͂͂̂̓̾̒̔͗̈́͊̎̇̔̀͗́̕͘͘͘͜͜͝͝͝͠Ă̴̢̢͎͎̔̓̀̈́́͗͊͐̉̓͌̋̂͆̿̊̂͜͝͠͠͝A̶̡̢̨̡̛̛̘̖̜͈̪͇̦̹͎̟̳̙̩̤̫̲̮̪̭̳͖̮̹̬͈̱̯̻͕̩̱̟̺̬̙̠̲̜̰̪̥̩̟̹̭͐̓͐̉͛͆̅̄͆̿̔̌͆́͑͘͘̕͠A̶̧̡̧̡̤͓̬̲̘̹̫̜̟̬̘̞̺͖̰͚̗͇̩̟͙̮̺̻͇͓̪̤͇̗̬̦̤͈̼͔̞͉̞̠̞̱͉̳̱͋̒̒̑̉͂̂͌̾̀̉̔̏̉̋̂́̾̚͜͠͠Å̸̡̛̝͎͙̰̻̲̜̳̺̝͔̤̞͔͕̫̞͉͔̳͙̺͎͉̀͂̍̈́͒̇̐̽͌̀̃̈́̆̏̊͂̕̚͜ͅͅÃ̴̡̧̧̧̧̢̢̱͚̝͍͙̦̖̰̲͎͙̘͍̞̩͕̪̯̯͍̗̘̳̣̥̣͇͕̥̜̺̥̭̪̣̬̫̼̫̠͔̯̿̄͑̏̈́̔̌̽̿̊̏͑͆͛̄͑̓̾͘̕͜͜͜͜͝͝͝A̶̧̡̨̨̧̡̦̞̻͈̜͚͔̥͍̣̰͓̩̘͉̠͎͚̖̥̭̱̱̙͕͇̻̻̟͔̠͕̭̦̘̥̘͕̓͑̏̽̓̎̈́͆̈́͊̂̒̃̍̾̈́̉̌̈͑̈̈́͑͗͑͐̑̊̀͋̓̈́͑̈́̑́̐͑͑̇̋́̽̂̅̕̕͜͜͝͠͝À̴̛̖̘̙̲̺̱͉̲̣͚̹͔̯̥̯̬̖̮̞̏̒̿̄̿̏̀̔̒̑̽́̀̌͐̕͘͜͝͠͝A̸̮͓̹͔͓̝͎̟͍̲̜̣͛͛͊̄͗̈́̓̇̑͜Ǎ̷̢̢̛͖̰̣̣̟̺͎͚͇̘͖̻̥͙̪̻̗͕̻̠̆̋̃̅̈͊̉̄̄̌̂͐͐̊̐̈́̇̅̐̉͗̆͒͑̄̐͂͐̈́̐̋͐̈́́̌̓͋̈́͋̕̚̕̕͠͝͠A̵̛̛̺̭̲͉̱̣̺͒̀̽̆͋̄͆̅̔͑̈́̐͆̊̇͊̒͒̅̎͛̅͒̄̾̐́̍͊͆̿́͒̒͛̓͂͆͌̈́̈́͑̌͐͋̆̿̃͘̚̚̚̕͝͝͝A̶̡̢͍̻̻̰̠̰̳̙̺̻̲̼̦̻̠͓͇͐̂́͛̎͛̓̉̑̊̒͒̈̈̆́͊͒̒̄̋̉̓̈́͑̃̌͋̔̕̕͘͘͜͝͠͠͝K̴̢̢̨̡̨̧̺̭̦̖̞̜͙̗̜̗̫̺͇̙͎̞̟̜̬̼͍̣̣͖̲̯̫̥͔͔̖̘͓͐͋̒̔̐̅͜͜ͅĖ̵̢̢̦̱̥̦̺̙̲̩͖̬̗̬̬̯̅̃̒̇̄̈̽̃͑͆͒̂̚͜͝È̵̛̛̛̖̦̬̝̦̺̟͈̩̲̪̤̘̞̺̎́̃͊̉̄͗̎̈́̒̈́̊̌͒̓͆̃̓̍͆͂̌͛̔̂̓͑͊̽̅̇̉̈͆̈́̑̚̕͘͝͝͝͝͝͠͝Ë̶̡̛̻̪͔͇̩̻͔̣́̔̾̋̐͗͆̈́̌̚” The deep distorted tremor bellowed, that sounded like a thousand voices talking at once, crackled and damned from hell.

Jeffrey’s eyes widen at the sight of Hyperion’s CEO engulfing the screen as if he had just stepped out of the darkness. His eyes bright yellow and transfixed on his small form. His infamous smile boiled and froze the blood under his skin. He was cute through his face due to the crack in the screen, resulting in making his entrance even more intimidating and sinister.

“̶H̷e̸e̸e̴y̶y̶y̸y̴,̶ ̶b̶u̴d̴d̸d̶d̷d̷y̶y̴y̶y̸y̶.̶”̵ ̵J̴a̴c̸k̸ ̸g̶i̷g̸g̴l̷e̶d̵ ̴w̷i̵l̶d̴l̴y̵,̶ ̶“̵B̴e̴e̶n̵ ̵a̸w̵h̸i̸l̶e̴,̵ ̶h̷u̷h̷…̵?̴ ̶H̸o̵w̷ ̶h̵a̴v̷e̷ ̷y̴o̴u̸ ̶b̷e̷e̶e̷e̷e̵n̵n̴n̴n̴?̶ ̷W̸h̶a̴t̷’̷s̵ ̵w̸i̷t̴h̴ ̷t̸h̷a̵t̷ ̵l̶o̴o̵o̴o̴k̶?̴ ̴C̸o̶m̸e̸ ̸o̵n̴,̸ ̶y̶o̴u̴ ̷r̷e̷c̴o̶g̷n̷i̶z̴e̷ ̶y̶o̷u̸r̸ ̸o̴l̴d̶ ̷b̶o̸s̷s̴,̶ ̴d̴o̷n̶’̵t̵ ̶y̴o̵u̷?̴”̴

The AI didn’t wait for a reply. His looming gaze searching the small room. “̵N̶o̶w̵ ̷w̷h̷o̸ ̸w̶a̵s̵ ̷t̸h̷a̴t̸ ̴n̴i̸c̷e̷ ̷l̶a̴d̵y̷ ̶w̴h̵o̸ ̸w̶e̴l̴c̶o̵m̷e̵d̴ ̶m̸e̵ ̸b̸a̶c̷k̶ ̴e̵a̶r̷l̵i̸e̶r̸,̴ ̴h̷m̵m̸?̶”̵

Meg, her ears still covered, hesitantly stood up. She was shaking more than a hairless jabber during a blizzard. “M-Meghan Carter, s-sir.”

He cooed darkly, “M̵e̸e̶e̶e̸e̶g̸.̷ ̶N̸o̶w̶,̷ ̶a̷r̷e̵n̵'̸t̷ ̷y̷o̸u̸ ̴s̷w̶e̶e̸t̴.̸ ̶W̵h̴y̴ ̸d̶o̴n̷'̸t̴ ̸y̷o̷u̷ ̷b̴e̸ ̴a̸ ̴d̸e̴a̶r̶ ̵a̸n̶d̸ ̶l̸e̶t̵ ̴m̸e̴ ̷o̷u̷t̴ ̵o̸f̴ ̴t̵h̵i̴s̵ ̶p̷i̶e̷c̶e̸ ̸o̵f̶ ̶s̸h̶i̷t̷ ̴c̶o̸m̸p̴u̷t̶e̴r̴,̶ ̸h̸u̶h̷?̶ ̷I̷'̶d̴.̸.̸.̶ R̶̨̼̼̈̚͠͝E̵̙͝A̵̞̳̫͌̐L̷̩̜͚̻͇̼̳̒͑͐Ḻ̴͓̈́̈͝Y̴̮͉̬̹͚͎̰̒͊.̵.̶.̵ ̵a̷p̵p̴r̸e̴c̷i̸a̴t̸e̴ ̶i̷t̶.̷”

“W-w-w-wwee can’t. Not yet.”

His form jittered as his smile briefly vanished before laughing unsteadily, “W̴̨͙̊͌̍̆h̷̩͔͔̾͌̃͒̇̌y̷̮̔̍̈́̄̚ ̶̨̪͈̈͋̆͗̏n̵̡͖͉̘͙̾̇͝ő̴̟̾͌̂t̷̹̰͈͓͐̾̐̈́̓͝,̸̪̝͉̏͂͗̎ͅ ̶͕͍̈́͑̄͐͌̕M̸͈̦͈̼̺̎̽̒̾̉e̶͓͆̕̕g̵̫̘͍̣̍̾͋?̸̧̗͚̈́”

Tears were in her eyes as she kept looking back to Blake. She was unhealthily pale. “W-we… Mr. Blake… sir? Help me. Please.”

Finally, Jeffrey stepped up, disguising the distaste on his tongue with bluntness. “Jack… Hyperion needs you more than ever. The board misses and only wants someone like you, Jack. Even though you are an AI, you’re the closest thing we have to getting Hyperion off the ground.”

“I̴'̵m̷ ̷m̸o̸r̶e̶ ̴t̸h̴a̶n̸ ̶j̷u̸s̵t̷ ̵a̴n̷ ̸A̶I̴,̷ ̵B̷l̵a̵k̵e̸-̴y̸.̵” Jack purred, folding her arm while his hand stroked his cheek. “N̷o̵ ̶w̴o̸n̸d̷e̶r̷ ̷y̵o̶u̴ ̷i̸d̵i̴o̷t̷s̴ ̷c̸a̵n̷'̸t̶ ̴h̷a̸n̷d̷l̷e̴ ̷a̷n̷y̵t̸h̷i̴n̴g̵ ̷w̸i̶t̵h̴o̷u̷t̵ ̴m̵e̵.̷ ̴T̸h̶a̷t̵'̷s̶ ̶j̴u̵s̷t̶ ̵d̷e̴p̶r̴e̵s̶s̴i̸n̵g̷.̴ ̷I̷ ̶p̵r̵a̴c̶t̵i̷c̴a̶l̴l̴y̶ ̴a̵m̸ ̴H̴y̷p̶e̵r̸i̵o̵n̶.̴.̸.̶ ̸n̴o̴w̷ ̸t̸h̶a̸t̸ ̸I̸ ̷t̵h̷i̴n̸k̷ ̸a̵b̴o̶u̶t̷ ̷i̶t̵.̸”

“You are definitely Jack.” Blake muttered. He cleared his throat. “We don’t have the tools to bring you out of the screen just yet. The board has been holding us back due to not having a… good leader.”

Meg offered a pitiful frown but said nothing.

“We need you to steer us back in the right directions, to bring… order. Advertise that Hyperion is a force above all. It’s what the board wants, Jack.”

They thirst for bloodshed.

“N̵e̸e̴d̶ ̶m̴e̵.̷.̴.̶ ̴h̵u̴h̸.̴.. H̶͉̯͕̓͆͂͊̏̉͒̂̓̌̋̆̚͠͝͝A̵̹̼̣̺͉̦̣͕̱͚͖͊͋̔̽́̿͜͝H̷̨̡̛̗͔̘͈͉͖̱̜̮̱͉̔͆̋̓̎̎̓̀̕H̶̛̱̦̯̗͖̑̓͊̈́̓̈́͑Ä̵̡̹͚͇̱̤̳͖͓̰̺̺̞͕̻̬̭́̇͋͋͆͜͜H̴͎̟̱͔͉̞̠̹̻̖̺̗̦͈̹͎͚̉̔͋͛̋͜A̴̧̨̢̨̛̖̬̜̲̙̞͋̈̓͊͆͌͂̑̽̂̀͜͝͠͠Ḩ̴̖̩͕̹̻͍͖̞͕̣̪̘̟̺͇̠̃̅̂͑̎͜Ǎ̷̛̟͍͈͉̖̳̞͕̤̥̹͔̥̫̲̑̈́̇͛̎̑̈́̄̚̕͜ͅ”Y̸o̸u̶ ̶a̵c̵t̸ ̸l̵i̷k̴e̸ ̵I̴'̵m̴ ̷g̶o̴i̷n̵g̶ ̸t̵o̷ ̵s̴a̷y̶ ̵n̴o̷,̷ ̸J̷i̴m̴m̵y̵!̶ ̸W̵h̵i̵c̵h̵ ̷I̵'̴m̵ ̴n̷o̷t̵,̶ ̵o̸b̵v̵i̷o̸u̴s̸l̷y̵.̶ ̷Y̶o̵u̵ ̶n̴e̸e̷d̷ ̴m̶e̶.̸ ̸A̸l̶l̴ ̸o̴f̴ ̴y̵o̷u̷ ̴n̶e̴e̷d̶ ̸m̵e̷.̵ ̸O̵f̶ ̶c̷o̸u̷r̴s̶e̶ ̶I̶'̷l̶l̸ ̵l̵e̶a̵d̵ ̷y̴o̶u̴ ̷d̷u̸m̸d̴u̷m̵s̴ ̸a̵g̸a̷i̴n̵!̸ ̶F̶i̴r̶s̵t̵ ̶o̴f̸ ̷a̸l̷l̸,̴ ̸I̴'̸m̵ ̸g̷o̵n̵n̶a̵ ̴n̷e̶e̵d̴ ̷a̷ ̴b̴o̷d̸y̷ ̴a̷n̵d̵ ̷s̷o̵o̴n̶,̸ ̴m̶m̸k̸a̴y̴?̷ ̷W̴h̸a̷t̵e̶v̵e̶r̸ ̵y̷o̷u̸ ̴n̵a̴m̸e̶ ̴w̸a̵s̵,̸ ̵M̵E̷G̵!̷ ̴I̵ ̸r̵e̶m̶e̶m̵b̵e̴r̵e̵d̶.̴ ̵Y̸o̵u̸'̴r̵e̵ ̵g̷o̴n̶n̴a̷ ̴d̶o̶ ̵t̶h̷a̵t̴ ̷f̵o̶r̴ ̶m̸e̷ ̷a̵l̵o̴n̸g̸ ̵w̸i̴t̸h̵ ̴a̸n̸y̶ ̶o̸t̷h̵e̵r̷ ̴c̵o̸d̷e̸ ̸m̶o̴n̵k̵e̴y̸ ̶w̵a̵-̵h̴o̴o̵ ̴i̷n̷ ̸t̶h̴i̵s̸ ̵b̷u̴i̵l̶d̸i̷n̷g̵-̸-̵ ̵h̷a̵a̵a̸a̶,̷ ̴w̵h̴e̴r̷e̶ ̵a̷m̸ ̴I̵ ̷a̴n̶y̴w̷a̵y̶?̷”

“Osiris, our new space station. It’s still undergoing development, but Jack--! Jack, listen to me.” With a growl, the AI sneered at him with narrowed eyes, tapping his fingers on his cheek. Blake quickly continued, leaving room for urgency, “We’re understaffed. No one wants to work here--”

“A̷n̶d̶ ̶y̸o̵u̵ ̶w̴a̵n̵t̵ ̷m̷e̶ to get them back,̵ ̷I̴ ̸g̵e̷t̴ ̶B̴l̵a̵k̶e̶,̴ ̴y̴o̷u̵ ̴k̴n̸o̸w̸ ̴I̴ ̷l̸o̵v̷e̴ ̵f̷l̶a̵t̶t̸e̷r̸y̸ ̷b̷u̷t̴ ̴h̷o̸l̴d̵ ̵o̶f̵f̸ ̷f̴o̶r̶ ̶a̵ ̸w̵h̴i̶l̴e̶,̴ ̴o̴k̸a̷y̵,̴ ̸p̴u̸m̴p̴k̸i̵n̷?̸ ̵I̵ ̸n̷e̸e̴d̷ ̶t̵o̵ ̶t̵a̶l̸k̶ ̴t̵o̶ ̸M̷e̴g̵ ̷o̴v̸e̵r̴ ̷h̴e̷r̶e̷.̷a̴b̴o̴u̸t̴ ̷m̸y̵ ̷n̶e̸w̷ ̴b̵o̵d̵y̴.”

“Let me talk.” Blake hissed harshly, surprising the AI into silence. “The board isn’t going to like that you’re an hologram.”

Meg stared at him with wide eyes. “S-sir…!”

“No one takes an AI seriously, Meg." He barked. "We can’t make him a robot husk either. The board doesn’t believe anything from a computer should reign over anything. Why do you think we had to destroy the Claptrap rebellion and start from scratch? This is why Nakayama made this a secret. It must stay a secret, Carter.”

“D̶o̸ ̴I̸ ̵h̶a̴v̴e̵ ̵t̵o̵ ̷b̸e̴ ̶q̸u̴i̶e̴t̶?̶ ̸I̸ ̶d̷o̶n̴'̸t̴ ̶l̵i̶k̵e̴ ̸b̵e̸i̵n̵g̸ ̴q̷u̵i̸e̸t̷.̸”

Blake ignored him. “Is there any possible way to get him inside a human?”

“That’s… a revolting solution… A real human body would not be suitable. We would have to make a robotic skeleton and do surgery on the body… It’s too much and I will not do that even to a willing participant.” Meg swallowed and arched her shoulders. “Do not worry, Mr. Blake. I will find a solution.”

“And not a word to anyone?”

“I pinky promise!” Timidly, she held out her pinky.

Blake looked it over with heavy lids and sighed through his nose. He grabbed her pinky with his. “Yes, yes. Good.”

T̷h̶i̸s̴ ̷i̶s̸ ̴j̵u̵s̶t̴ ̵t̶h̸e̵ ̴s̴w̷e̷e̴t̵e̵s̵t̵,̵ ̷h̶o̴n̵e̸s̵t̸l̴y̵.̶" Jack babbled on, bored. "I̵'̷m̶ ̴s̴e̶r̷i̴o̸u̸s̵.̸ ̴S̷o̸ ̴s̷w̷e̶e̴t̵.̷ ̶C̷a̵n̶ ̸w̵e̷ ̷f̶o̴c̸u̶s̸ ̷o̶n̸ ̸m̶e̶ ̷n̶o̶w̴?̸ ̵A̴n̶d̵ ̶m̴y̵ ̶b̸o̸d̷y̵?̴ ̶O̴r̸ ̷y̵o̵u̷ ̷k̴n̶o̶w̴,̶ ̴f̴i̶l̴l̴ ̷m̸e̸ ̶i̶n̴ ̷o̸n̶ ̸w̶h̷a̶t̵ ̶t̸h̵e̸ ̶h̸e̵l̴l̶ ̸h̶a̸s̵ ̶b̵e̵e̸n̴ ̴g̴o̸i̵n̴g̵ ̶o̷n̷?̸ ̴W̵h̷e̴r̸e̸'̸s̷ ̸R̷h̵y̶s̸?̷

“He’s not here, Jack. I had some freelancers scrounge around Helios’ grave for anything that still worked or could be used again. They found an ECHO eye disk there. We assumed it was you.”

“W̴o̶w̴,̶ ̷y̴o̸u̷ ̴c̵a̴n̵ ̸t̶h̵i̵n̶k̴ ̴f̴o̸r̵ ̸y̷o̴u̴r̸s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̸s̵o̸m̶e̵t̴i̴m̸e̴s̸,̷ ̸c̶a̵n̴'̸t̵ ̴y̴o̸u̴,̶ ̷B̷l̶a̵k̶e̷-̷b̷o̸y̷!̸ ̵P̶r̸o̵u̷d̷ ̵o̴f̶ ̷y̸o̸u̶.̷ ̶S̴o̸r̶r̴y̸ ̶a̷b̴o̸u̵t̷ ̵t̶h̵e̵ ̵c̸r̸a̷s̶h̸ ̵b̷y̷ ̷t̵h̷e̶ ̴w̷a̷y̴,̸ ̴I̸ ̵w̷a̵s̴ ̵t̴r̵y̴i̸n̵g̸ ̶t̶o̸ ̷c̶r̸u̶s̵h̸ ̵a̴ ̸l̸i̷t̶t̸l̸e̷ ̵b̵u̷g̵ ̴o̶u̷t̵ ̴o̴f̴ ̷m̶y̶ ̶s̵y̶s̸t̴e̷m̴ ̸a̸n̷d̴ ̶I̶ ̸g̴o̷t̴ ̸a̵ ̶l̵i̶t̷t̶l̸e̶ ̷t̴o̷o̴ ̶c̸a̷r̷r̸i̴e̴d̷ ̷a̴w̶a̷y̴.̶.̵.̷ ̶S̵p̶e̶a̴k̶i̸n̸g̸ ̷o̸f̵ ̵s̸y̴s̵t̵e̵m̸s̸.̶.̵.̵” He leered around the room with curiosity brimming in his eyes.

“You are to remain on Carter’s temp computer, Jack. You can’t explore just yet… That being said, I will invest in some new speakers and a screen for you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“For now, feel free to use any unused... well. Use any speakers you like. I have transmitted the ECHO recorders to your device, Carter. Make sure Jack listens to them. I need to meet with the engineers… Lock the doors behind me.”

“On it.”

“A̴w̸w̸, ̷I̷ ̸d̴o̷n̷'̷t̴ ̴g̵e̴t̵ ̶a̷ ̵k̵i̷s̵s̶ ̶g̸o̵o̸d̵b̸y̵e̸?̸” Jack mocked, perking his lips as Blake walked out of the room. His pace quickened. He made sure the door was shut before he grabbed his chest and drew out a shaky breath. Without a second thought about his emotions toiling with his head, Jeffrey pulled on his tie and readjusted his suit before pressing on down the hall.

This was a beautiful start to how much Blake was going to hate his job even more.


End file.
